IRB Rugby World Cup
England keeping open mind on 'hybrid centre' Sam Burgess
Tom Hamilton
May 20, 2015
Sam Burgess in action
Sam Burgess in action© David Rogers/Getty Images

The England coaches are keeping an open mind on how to utilise Sam Burgess with him potentially being used as a hybrid option between the forwards and backs.

After moving to Bath from rugby league side the Rabbitohs in October, Burgess started his union career at inside centre but he has recently been shifted to blindside. Bath head coach Mike Ford sees Burgess' long-term future in the forwards, primarily due to the number of times he can get his hands on the ball, but Stuart Lancaster is not yet ready to pigeonhole him as a forward or back.

"It is a pretty unique situation," Lancaster said. "The only probable scenario I can equate it to is the way the Waratahs are playing Michael Hooper at the moment; he's playing almost as a hybrid centre.

"You look at the way they're using him in their games recently, he's so powerful, so dynamic, he could play centre or back row. And Sam's probably in that position; I can't think of another player who's played club rugby at Premiership level in two different positions [forwards and backs]."

Lancaster will be keeping a close eye on this weekend's Aviva Premiership semi-finals when Bath host Leicester at the Recreation Ground. Burgess has recently got the nod at blindside and Lancaster hopes to see him in action there on Saturday.

"I think it will be fascinating to see this weekend if he starts at six against a pack like Leicester where set piece is going to be a key part of the game," Lancaster said. "So, we're open-minded; we certainly believe he can play in the centre, and I think perhaps his opportunities at Bath in the centre were ... there was some pretty poor weather at the time, and Bath's set piece probably suffered a little bit because we either had their best players, or their best forwards were injured. Now they've got every player fit so it'll be interesting to see them now."

Andy Farrell, part of Lancaster's backroom staff, knows the challenges of moving from league to union having made the switch to Saracens in 2005 from a hugely successful time in the 13-man form of the game. He provisionally started at blindside in an A-League match before shifting to the centres. He sees Burgess' versatility as a point of difference rather than one of indecision.

"We have a very rigorous way of looking at all games and preparing everyone with the same brush, and Sam's performance in attack and defence at the breakdown compares with the best over the last few weeks," Farrell said. "How he plays as a player won't change as a 12 or as a six. We've seen the same running lines, the same big hits and the same ferocity in his collisions in both positions. But what we have seen is that when he started off at 12, he developed as a rugby union player."

Lancaster's 50-man squad will be trimmed by around five before they journey to Denver in July and will be cut to the "mid-thirties" prior to their first World Cup warm-up match against France on August 15.

There is room in the squad for the odd bolter and 20-year-old Maro Itoje is emerging as one who could gatecrash the final 31-man squad. "He could be that wild card," Lancaster said. "I coached him when I coached England Under-17s so I coached him in 2010-11 so I know him reasonably well and his development has not surprised me.

"What has surprised me is his ability to deliver at the highest level in the big games. At Saracens, who put a lot of emphasis on rotational policy, he has gone in and he has played in the big games. And he has delivered."

In evaluating the final 31-man squad, versatility is key. The coaches have an "open mind" to who will make the final cut but there are names pencilled in against each slot in the World Cup party. "I think you'd be disappointed if we didn't know already what the core group/makeup of that 31 will be. Everything is up [for grabs] really. I would argue that Matt Mullan is going to push hard. I would argue that Luke Cowan-Dickie is going to push hard for the third hooker slot. Kieran Brookes will be looking at it and thinking 'I've got a shot', George Kruis will be thinking it - everyone should be thinking it.

"There are some guys who we would say, 'Yeah, these guys are definites,' but there are others who we would say, 'Let's see, we're open-minded'."

© Tom Hamilton

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